


Am I being Punk'd?

by JustAnOkayWriter



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anxiety, F/M, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, cursing, soulmate sickness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:46:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23184244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnOkayWriter/pseuds/JustAnOkayWriter
Summary: You’d expected to feel more excited when you finally found your soulmate, but the reality of the situation was flooding you with fear. You didn’t know how to tell him, or when. Besides that, he had been dating AJ Lee for a year and you didn’t want to tell him what you found, and have him give up something that made him happy.
Relationships: AJ Lee/CM Punk, CM Punk/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Am I being Punk'd?

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a soulmate AU prompt:  
> "In a world where your soulmate’s hair color is your nail color, and Person A touches Person B’s hair, and Person A realizes that it’s the same shade, but Person B doesn’t notice"  
> Decided to angst it up even more, and almost 9.5k words later here we are.

The locker room was nearly empty when you and Punk burst through the door, both laughing raucously and you smacking at his back from your position slung over his shoulder. He set you down once you arrived at his locker, smirking over his shoulder at you. You gave him a bright grin, and sat down on the bench next to him, watching him grab out a change of clothes and his toiletry bag. It took a moment to tear your eyes away from his body, arousal threading through you and pooling in your stomach, reminding you of exactly why it was so hard to be around him while you were single. Most of the free time you had these days, you spent with Punk, and while a large part of you (shoved down by the inability to believe he would ever date you) loved it, you also never really had a chance to be alone. Even though you knew that a few minutes alone would allow you to release some of that tension, you frequently enjoyed and even fueled the sexual tension between you and your tag partner.

Looking down at your lap, your gaze caught on your covered hands and a strong feeling of loneliness hit you full-force. Your nails were a medium shade of brown, and the discouragement you felt when they darkened to that color after your 18th birthday was palpable. Your friends and family had been comforting, but you knew as well as they did the odds of you finding your soulmate was low, brown hair being the most common color. The longer you went with no real success, the more discouraged you became, until inevitably you had decided to take a break from looking to maintain your sanity. A few months later, CZW had come calling for you to work for them, and you took the offer almost right away, choosing to wear polish to disguise the color of your nails.

A hand brushing your hair out of your face brought you back to the moment and you smiled sweetly at Punk, seeing that he was finished with his shower and getting dressed. You were content to wait, but couldn’t stop yourself from freezing when you noticed something. He wasn’t looking at you anymore, getting himself ready to go to the hotel, but his hand was still idly playing with your locks. His nails were an exact match, and you felt a combination of anxiety and dread filling you. Normally, your hair was kept up and tightly plaited, and you hadn’t let his hands anywhere near it to this point, not wanting to check and be disappointed. However, during your match, the braid was undone by Nikki, and you had left it down for the moment. Your own hand raised up to thread into his hair briefly, polish having chipped off slightly during your bout tonight, and of course, it was an exact match.

You’d expected to feel more excited when you finally found your soulmate, but the reality of the situation was flooding you with fear. You didn’t know how to tell him, or when. Besides that, he had been dating AJ Lee for a year and you didn’t want to tell him what you found, and have him give up something that made him happy. The jealousy you had been feeling made sense now that you knew that the pair of you were bonded, and you felt suddenly, uncomfortably torn on how to interact with him. Should you reveal what you found, or pretend you never knew? His eyes caught your gaze and you looked away from him quickly, gasping at the sudden feeling of  _ mine _ that hit you when he grabbed your hand to pull you up off the bench. 

“Rain? You okay?” He asked softly, reaching for you and raising a brow. You nodded and smiled at him as brightly as you could, standing up to avoid his touch. The pair of you were very tactile and affectionate with one another, and had been since you met, but knowing that he was your soulmate changed everything. A flash of hurt came over his expression before he stood as well, grabbing his bag and watching you carefully. Another smile came over your lips but you knew he would see that it was tight and overly bright. He started to open his mouth to say something to you when the doors burst open and AJ came barrelling into the room. 

“Baby!” She screeched, running over to wrap Punk in her arms. You were quickly shoved back by her overzealous hug, catching yourself against the lockers next to you and wincing slightly before standing again. A stabbing pain in your chest overcame you when you saw the pair of them hugging and kissing, gritting your teeth against it and grabbing your bag. Standing, you waved briefly to AJ, and started to head out the door, knowing the pair had plans for the night and not wanting to even remotely be involved.  _ Maybe I could just transfer brands _ . Before you could slip out, Punk saw you at the door, his own expression puzzled. 

“Leaving already?” Punk’s voice was happy and light, and you turned to him, a small and tight smile plastered on your lips. You kept up your expression even as his gaze felt like it was piercing your skin, heart and muscles clenching as you saw her lean up and kiss his cheek. Every moment you sat there and watched them cuddle together was worse, and you squared your shoulders before replying to Punk, voice strained slightly. 

“Oh, I’m not feeling well. You two have a good night though, ok?” Very few people would be able to tell something was wrong in your voice, and you hoped to fool Punk long enough to get back to the hotel. Before he could reply, you heard AJ give you a nonchalant answer, and nodded, leaving the locker room as quickly as you could. Once you were out of the room with them, your pain dissipated, settling as an insistent ache through your torso. There was a small part of you that had hoped Punk might come out after you, but by the time you made it to the parking lot, you knew he would be with AJ until morning. As you got into the rental car, your phone went off, letting you know you had a new text. You didn’t realize until you pulled out your phone that you had started to cry, tears swimming in your vision and clouding it.

Punkster (9:45 PM): You gonna tell me what’s going on when I get back tonight?

Rain (9:48 PM): There isn’t anything going on, scout’s honor. Have fun while you’re out.

Punkster (9:50 PM): Bullshit, sweetheart. Try again?

Rain (9:52 PM): Doesn’t AJ hate when you call me that? Why do you keep doing it?

Punkster (9:55 PM): You know you’re my best friend, Rain. AJ doesn’t get to decide or dictate how I show that.

Sobs burst forth from your chest, hard and loud, and your arms wrapped themselves around your waist tightly. The more you processed your feelings, the stronger your sobs became, your whole body trembling as you eventually let out your pain in loud, heartbroken screams. You had shot off a text to your brother to ask him to stay in his hotel room, and when you heard your phone, you expected it to be a reply from him. Before you could open it, the tone went off again, and you glanced briefly at both messages, taking deep breaths to calm yourself.

Punkster (10:10 PM): Don’t think you distracted me, darling. We are gonna talk when I get back tonight.

Dean (10:11 PM): Room 205. Roman is already there, he should be able to let you in.

You sighed softly, wiping the last of your tears and starting the short drive to the hotel. Throughout the drive, you had one of your favorite CD’s playing over the car speakers, trying to lose yourself in the lyrics as always but finding your mind drifting back to Punk over and over again. You knew if you were in the room when he got back that you wouldn’t be able to maintain the secret you now carried, and that thought terrified you. Once you arrive, you retrieve your bag from the backseat, quickly heading up to the room you and Punk were sharing to grab a change of clothes for the night. Opening the hotel room door, you breathed a small sigh of relief when you saw you were alone, half expecting Punk to be there waiting to confront you. 

After changing into a comfortable top and some pajamas, you slipped out of the room and headed to the elevator, hitting the button for the second floor. You checked your phone one more time for the room number, feeling the shooting pain return when you saw Punk’s text. Of course he wanted to talk, but you didn’t know if you could make it through the conversation without telling him. Before you could get too into your own head, you arrived at the door and knocked. When Roman opened the door, you gave him a small but tear-filled smile and let him usher you in, sitting down on their couch and curling your legs up beneath you. After the door was shut, you felt him sink down next to you, and his large arm wrapped around your shoulders, pulling you into his side gently. “What happened?” His voice breaking the silence startled you, but you sighed before leaning your head into his shoulder, your brother’s soulmate waiting patiently for you to be ready to speak. 

“He’s my soulmate” You started, nodding when Roman turned to look at you. “Punk, he’s my soulmate. And I can’t say a word to him about it. He’s out with AJ right now. And when I saw them? It-” As you spoke, you felt your tears return, wiping them away furiously. Images of the two flashed in front of you, and you gasped, hand gripping your shirt over your chest hard. More sobs started to leak out, and you felt him wrap his arms fully around you, quietly shushing you. Roman’s hold calmed the sobs down into a few stray tears, and you felt grateful for him, his presence steadying you nearly as much as Dean’s. You gave him a small, tense smile, pulling back from the hug and curling into a smaller ball on the couch, sighing softly. “So I asked Dean to crash here, he told me to come. Just til morning, til I figure out what to do '' You saw Roman nod, and waited for him to respond, knowing he would give you an idea of what to do. Between him and Dean, you had managed to have 2 older brothers who wanted to help, though they each had their own methods. Roman usually gave level headed and balanced advice, helping you to make more careful decisions, where Dean was more likely to push you to confront the issue or person bothering you. 

“You should tell him” His advice was frank, and you let out an incredulous huff in reply, raising a brow at him to elaborate. “Rain, if you can’t see how in love with you he is, you’re being dense on purpose. Especially if he saw how much just the mention of that caused you pain” He waited for you to make eye contact before continuing, his hand rubbing comforting circles on your back. “He deserves a chance to make his own decision, same as you. But you hiding this from him is pointless. The two of you work together constantly, and room together, drive together. You’re always together. How long do you really think you can hide this without him finding out?” Though his tone is firm, his voice sounds warm and loving, and after he finishes, he wraps you in another hug, his chin resting on your head. You return the squeeze, before you wrap your arms around your legs tightly, thinking of how to express your fears and losing your nerve. 

Thinking on Dean’s advice to you through the years, you level him with a smirk to hide your insecurity. You shrugged at him, chin settling on top of your knees and teeth sinking down on your lower lip. “However long it takes to get reassigned to Smackdown” You replied, standing and tossing your change of clothes onto the bedside table between the queen hotel beds. Roman’s incredulous scoff made irritation flare in you, the emotional toll of the day making you more than ready to argue with him. Turning back to him, you crossed your arms and raised a brow, scoffing in return. “What?”

Roman rolled his eyes at you and went to his and Dean’s bed, sitting on the edge. “You know as well as I do that shit doesn’t work with me. You wanna run away because you’re scared, not of him, but of being happy with him. And you know it.” His own arms crossed to mirror your posture, before he continued. Your anger was starting to bubble up within you, anxiety and pain fueling the growth. “I’ve watched you dance around your soulmate since you were 18, Rain. He’s finally here, he loves you, and you love him. He-”

“He’s never gonna leave her for me, so what’s the  _ fucking point. _ ” You spat at him, moving closer and clenching your fists. Though you knew it was pointless, you felt shame flooding you at how emotional you were being, but pushed on anyways, ignoring the tears rolling down your cheeks. “He has fucking A.J. there! Why the  _ fuck _ would he need some damaged little street  _ rat _ like me?! Huh! He’s got a perfect girl right the  _ fuck _ there, so why should  _ I _ break them up? Because he’s my  _ soulmate _ ?” Your pitch had raised to the point of shouting, and after you finished speaking, you started to fall forward, sobbing violently, before you felt him catch you and pull you up onto one of the beds. Roman sat slowly next to you, allowing you to sob into his shoulder until you felt calmer. Once you were able to breathe and speak without breaking down again, you sat up, wiping at your face with your sleeve. Turning back to Roman, you sighed, looking down at your lap. “I’m-”

“Rain,  _ please _ don’t apologize” Roman interrupted, kissing the top of your head gently. He moved from the bed you were on to the other, and smiled gently at you, getting himself settled into bed. “You’re hurting, and I was trying to get you to let out some of that pent up angst. Let’s just hang out for a while.”

The two of you decide to watch a few movies on cable, settling in on the two different beds and being quiet minus some small talk. About halfway through the third movie, the sound of a key in the door stirred you both from a half sleep, Dean popping inside and grinning at you each in turn. You smiled back at him, before looking down at your phone to give the couple a little privacy for their greeting. Pulling up your text conversation with Punk, you bit you lip, feeling bad for just disappearing and not telling him where you would be. As you were thinking about texting him, you saw him starting to type, and decided to wait for his text before sending one yourself. You could see Dean watching you, sure that Roman had filled him in on what you told him. Two texts came in rapidly, and you read both, eyes filling with tears again. A familiar pair of arms wrapped around you and you sobbed into his chest for a moment, heart aching.

Punkster (3:45 AM): Where are you? I got back and the room is empty. Did something happen?

Punkster (3:46 AM): Rain, I’m serious. Either reply or I’m going to start looking for you, you’re fucking scaring me right now.

After taking a moment to calm you down, you felt Dean pick up your phone and type a message, looking up at him suspiciously through your tears. A knock sounded at the door, the person waiting quickly starting to knock multiple times. You got up, trying to find a way to hide and giving your brother a small glare. “You’ll be thanking me later” Dean murmured, nodding to Roman to get the door, as the person’s knocking sped up and became more insistent. Your brother reached over to wipe your tears off your cheeks, smiling fondly down at you and kissing the top of your head as he hugged you. His innocent smile did nothing to allay your suspicion, and you finally checked your phone, reading the message right as the door opened.

Rain (12:49 AM): Room 205. You owe me one - Dean

Before you could scold Dean for taking your phone, the conversation between Punk and Roman caught your attention. You felt yourself shiver when you heard Punk’s voice the first time, the feelings you had been fighting with all night overwhelming you for a moment. “Roman, where are they? Sweetheart?” Punk tried to push past Roman, the larger man using his bulk to block the door frame easily. “C’mon dude, please.” His voice was insistent and made you melt a little inside, the worry he felt for you clear. The taller man turned to you and waited for a nod before turning back to Punk, crossing his arms over his chest.

“If I let you in, and they get hurt, you won’t be leaving” Roman warned stoically, before stepping back slightly from the door, allowing Punk through. The tattooed man rushed into the room and let out a relieved breath when he saw you, quickly moving to where you were standing and trying to cup your cheeks with his hands, though you dodged his hands and moved away slightly. His eyes were suspicious and shone with hurt, and the sight made your heart ache, but you tried to focus on the fact you couldn’t let him touch you again, at least not on bare skin. An idea suddenly flashed in your head, and you reached out a hand covered by the sleeve of your sweatshirt for him to hold, smiling sweetly at him when he grinned and grabbed your hand with his. 

Parts of you were surprised, knowing he usually spent the night away when he and AJ went out, but most of you was just happy he was back. The pain in your chest returned, and you grit your teeth against it, squeezing and releasing Punk’s hand. You started to grip the inside of your sleeve, hoping to be able to endure the pain you felt from the reminder of his relationship and not show it to him. Having him there in front of you made it both easier and infinitely more difficult, and you wanted to weep at the idea of spending another  _ day  _ like this. But you would do what you had to, for Punk.

You hoped you could play off your behavior as not feeling well, and maybe he would believe you. He cleared his throat to get your attention, eyes scanning your face slowly to check for any signs of what was going on. “You scared the fucking shit out of me, sweetheart. You okay?” His voice was tense, and you could feel yourself softening a little, nodding in reply. He waited for you to say something to him, raising a brow when you stayed quiet. After looking at Dean and Roman, and seeing them both shrug, he winked at you and stretched his arms up over his head. “Let’s go to bed, yeah?” When he raised his arms, you could see a hint of his body below, and the glimpse had frozen you with a sudden need to touch and  _ taste _ and  _ claim _ and- Shaking your head slightly, you focused back on his question, biting your lip as you thought

“Was gonna sleep here” You yawned at the end of your statement, rubbing your eyes sleepily and looking up at him. Even though you thought you could handle it, the jolt of feeling you got when the pair of you locked eyes nearly sent you back into a fit of tears, and his expression softened considerably when he saw how emotional you had become. “Figured you’d be out, didn’t wanna sleep alone” Your voice wavered as you yawned again, more tired than you had thought. Punk’s hand came out to grab yours and pull you a little closer, leaning down to murmur in your ear. 

“I’m here now. Let’s go to bed, sweetheart, I’m back where I should’ve been all night.” His voice was gentle and soft, and you nodded after a moment, knowing if you tried to stay he would definitely know something was up with you. Slowly, you stood up off the bed on the opposite side from him, smiling at Roman and Dean as they looked up at you. The pair had been quietly watching the movie that was playing on the TV, and smiled at you. Roman quirked his brow and nodded to Punk, knowing his earlier advice had been working its way through your mind all night. You shook your head and gave him a look of your own, practiced at telling both him and Dean to stay out of your business. After a moment, you glanced toward your best friend and smiled, starting to head to the door and seeing him following not-so-far behind you. 

The pair of you were quiet in the hallway, keeping a healthy distance between the both of you. Normally, he would slip his hand into yours or leave the two of you otherwise intertwined, but you knew yourself well enough to be careful. Even more so now that you knew he was your soulmate. Once you reached the elevator, you both stepped in, and as soon as the doors were closed, he was right in front of you, gently cupping your cheek and locking his eyes to yours. 

A shiver ran through you at the touch, and you leaned back into the wall of the elevator, gripping the bar there with both hands and whining softly. You were unprepared for how much the touch would affect you, your mind racing and your skin absolutely electrified. Every thought from before was back,  _ mine _ and  _ bonded _ and  _ need _ bouncing around in your head. In a desperate attempt to get some space, you pulled away from him and moved to the other side of the elevator, pretending to check yourself out in the reflective wall,

“Do I have something on my face, or… what?” Though your tone was light and playful, he continued to watch you, before he tilted his head. The sound of the elevator doors opening startled you both, you trying to shift towards the door as quickly as you could. Before you were able to slip out, you felt him grab your hand, ignoring your protests and tugging you out of the elevator and toward your room. 

“Punk? Let go” You tried to extract your hand from his, the feeling of your hands interconnected like this overwhelming you with waves of feeling. There was anger, arousal… fear? You realized after a moment that you weren’t feeling your own emotions, but  _ his _ . The paralyzing fear you felt at the notion overwhelmed all of yours, and Punk dropped your hand as though he had been burned. He turned to you, eyes wide and confused, and tried to reach out for you, before thinking better of it. 

He grabbed your hand with the sleeve between, heading off and continuing down the hall. It took until you reached the room for you to speak again, trying to get his attention while he was focused on unlocking the door. “Can I have my hand back pl-” You were cut off when he opened the door and stepped through the doorway, pulling you into the room with him. Before you could process, he had you backed up to the wall and boxed you in. His eyes were warm, but he kept his expression neutral, voice lowered slightly due to the late hour.

“What’s going on with you tonight? No more bullshit. You’ve been acting off all night, and flinching away from me. Did I do something to scare you, or what?” His eyes were scanning you as he spoke, expression softening when you bit your lip and tears flooded your eyes again. He was very carefully not touching you, and you could feel your fear starting to subside, safety working its way through you and making you relax against the wall. He backed away slowly, moving until he was sitting on one of the beds. You sighed, rubbing the back of your neck nervously and closing your eyes.  _ Just lie. You have to lie, and get him to drop it _ . Looking at him, you sighed softly, starting to rub at your shoulder. 

“Honestly, I just got banged up really bad in the match tonight, I don’t know what it was. I promise I’m okay” You smiled softly at him and went to your bed, climbing under the covers and laying down facing him. “Some rest and I’ll be okay” You could see him doubting what you said, and leveled him with a sleepy, contented look, despite the pain you felt pooling in your chest.  _ I’ll try to get reassigned tomorrow.  _ Your thoughts made the pain worsen for a moment, and you turned your back to Punk to disguise the wince, letting out a small sigh when you felt the pain revert back into the insistent ache weighing down your chest. 

“Alright, sweetheart, Goodnight” His voice was quiet and pleasant, and you heard him stand up from his bed and head into the bathroom. A few silent tears rolled down your cheeks, and you let out a soft ‘Thanks’ when he shut off the lights. After you heard him lie back down, you were able to drift off into a fitful sleep, plagued with dreams of  _ him _ .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the next two weeks, you slowly distanced yourself from Punk, ignoring the despair and pain that now haunted your hours, both waking and asleep. Your dreams were full of fractured and mean moments conjured by the depths of your insecurities, Punk laughing as you tried to express your feelings, he and AJ marrying and having children, every single fear and worry you had would manifest nightly, and it only served to worsen both your mood and your health. You had grown increasingly sick in the last two weeks, and.were starting to get concerned looks from both Dean and Roman.

Your eyes were always hollow and your tone flatter than normal, and though you tried to make yourself, you’d stopped eating about a week ago. Going without his touch the last two weeks had been torture, and each day, when you saw him with  _ her _ , your chest pain would return, leaving you sobbing and gasping for breath by the end of it. You’d made sure to only look at them if you could reasonably be alone, and spent time with only Roman and Dean, who knew better than to mention your soulmate and his girlfriend. You had been staying with them after the first hotel, and when pressed by others, would simply reply that you wanted to spend more time with your brother. Since that first night, Punk had respected your wishes for space, and you sighed as you checked your phone, secretly hoping that he’d sent you a message. 

While checking your phone, you walked into the hotel of the night, and let out a soft squeak as you ran into a man leaving the building. Stumbling back, you started to fall, before feeling someone grab your sleeve and pull you up into a solid, muscular frame. Without having to look, you knew your soulmate was in front of you, and started to shift back, wanting to duck around him and escape. His hand darted out for yours, and though you tried to drop yours back, his hand managed to brush yours. A wave of sadness, worry, and anger crashed into you, and you gasped softly, meeting the gaze of your best friend and seeing the sadness hidden beneath his usual sardonic expression. To you, though, it was a beacon, shining from him. You stretched out a hand and squeezed his for a moment out of habit, before realizing what you were doing. 

Closing off your expression, you stepped back, moving to the side to allow him to pass. “‘Scuse me, ba-Punk” You stopped yourself from calling him a pet name only by a matter of seconds, and the smirk shining from him showed he hadn’t missed your slip up. His hand came up to brush a piece of hair from your cheek, and he smiled before heading out the door. Your love for him was starting to cloud your judgement, and you turned to call after him, before you saw him call out to someone, and AJ walked up. 

Your expression remained neutral, and you nodded at her, tilting your head when she called your name and gestured to you through the door. You headed outside cautiously. “Hey AJ, what’s up?”

“Hey Rain, wanted to let you know we have a match tomorrow night on RAW. Should be fun.” Her voice was pleasant, but you could see her already starting to cling to him and give you a fake, overly dramatic pitied glance. You rolled your eyes at her to hide the pain you were feeling, rubbing gently at your chest and nodding in reply before turning away from them both.

Moving inside as quickly as you could, you looked around frantically for somewhere private to go, pain already flaring in you. You shot towards the stairwell at full speed, pushing open the door and sobbing openly as you tried to calm yourself.  _ Why can’t I just tell him? God, what the fuck is wrong with me? _

The sound of the door behind you was the only warning you had before you felt a pair of arms wrapping around you, pulling you into a solid hug. Though you struggled at first, once you registered their scent you calmed down considerably.  _ Rollins… Wait, Rollins? _ You pulled back, wiping at your eyes and smiling softly at your friend, trying to compose yourself. “Seth?’ Your voice was slightly shaky, but you were starting to feel more stable, and appreciated him having followed to check on you. He tugged you into one more hug, gently ruffling your hair. 

“Dean told me. How bad is the pain?” He started to head out of the stairwell, and you followed behind him, biting the inside of your cheek as you thought of how to reply. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you into him, starting to walk across the lobby. You hadn’t expressed the extent of the pain you were in to your brother or his soulmate, mostly to prevent them deciding to tell Punk for you. On the other hand, after the first night when Roman saw you, no one had seen one of your little breakdowns, and you knew if you played it off it would make Seth suspicious. After another moment, you smiled at him and followed him into the elevator, leaning on one of the walls casually.

“It’s average, nothing worse than my old injuries. Mostly just annoying” You smirked at him and chuckled when he rolled his eyes. With a wink, you stretched and rolled your shoulders. Through your peripheral vision, you could see Seth shifting and averting his eyes from you, and a bittersweet expression crossed your face for a moment. On the one hand, if you could have maybe spent some time with him before your revelation, the two of you might have been able to have a casual… something. But now? The idea of him kissing you… touching you? Without warning, nausea overcame you, and you made it out of the elevator just in time to empty your stomach’s contents into the trash, feeling Seth’s hand rubbing comforting circles on your back. 

As soon as you were done, you started to feel faint, and his arms shifted so he could pull you up, helping you to your feet. You nodded your thanks and leaned on the wall, sighing softly. No relationships either? Lovely. You felt Seth’s hand on your shoulder and smiled to reassure him you were ok, standing from the wall and feeling the dizziness continue, at a manageable level. Rubbing your neck, you looked up, realizing he had brought you to your room so you could lie down. Leaning up, you kissed his cheek and used your key, entering the room and quickly getting some water. Dizziness wouldn’t help your matches, the pain you were feeling already giving you trouble throughout and you could barely stomach any match Punk was in these days. 

After your drink, you felt a little better, and settled down into bed, laying awake and waiting for sleep to come. You were hoping your match the following night on RAW against AJ would be short and you wouldn’t have to see Punk. You’d wrestled with her many times before, and overall, your matches were well received, so you weren’t surprised to hear that the pair of you were going to work together, but it didn’t ease the dread weighing you down, either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Neither you, nor Seth, had seen Punk watching the two of you when you came out of the stairwell, his eyes scanning you quickly for any injuries or indications of why you were in there, alone, with  _ him _ . Jealousy started to build in his chest, and he growled softly under his breath, crossing his arms. He’d waved off AJ shortly after she arrived, knowing she was going to dinner with her friends that night, and then when he came back in, he saw that  _ asshole _ with his hands all over  _ his _ Rain. Well, not his.

He had been desperately hoping that after giving you some space, you would come to him with whatever the fuck was bothering you, but thus far, you seemed to be shutting everyone out, except for your brother and Roman.  _ And now Seth _ , his brain helpfully reminded him. The sight of you now had him a mix of angry and worried. Your eyes were hollow and seemed to hold none of the usual light or spirit he reveled in, your posture was curled in and nervous, and he hadn’t seen you looking this thin in years.

He was uncomfortably reminded of the last time he saw you act anything like this, when you first joined WWE. Having only ever seen you with your brother, he assumed you were just some kind of family or maybe a production assistant, unaware of your wrestling until he caught you practicing alone one night, late and after most of the other wrestlers had gone to their hotels for the night. After seeing the grace and fluidity of your movements, as well as the speed with which you were transitioning between various positions and moves, he called out and offered to work with you.

The pair of you struck up a strong friendship after that, spending most nights and days working together. With some teaching from him, as well, you found yourself quickly making your way onto television, where you connected with the fans and were now a regular fan favorite. The two of you had a natural chemistry, and you had worked together on several storylines in the last year, and spent most of your waking hours together. 

Resolving himself to talk to you after the match between you and AJ the next night, Punk headed to the elevator and hit the button for his floor. He had been rooming alone the last two weeks, but made sure he always had a room with two beds.  _ For if- _ **_when_ ** _ they come back _ . Once the elevator arrived on his floor, he stepped off, and froze when he heard Rain getting sick nearby. Instinctively, he found them, seeing them leaning over and  _ Seth fucking Rollins was rubbing their back.  _ His growl was loud enough to get the brunette’s attention, and he raised a brow, silently challenging Punk to cause a scene. With a low growl, Punk stormed off to his room, swiping the key and slamming the door behind him as hard as he could.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had barely managed to be cleared by the medical staff, begging off any tests and telling them the pale tint to your skin was just due to jetlag. Though they looked skeptical, they signed your papers to clear you for the match, and you had smiled at them as confidently as possible. Getting ready had been a test of patience, and the dizziness that had been plaguing you since the previous night made you nervous, but you couldn’t say anything.  _ Who would I even tell?  _ Between that and your chest hurting, you knew this match wouldn’t go well, but it was too late to try and beg off of it. 

The next few minutes blurred together, and you quickly found yourself walking out with your theme blasting, waving and smiling at the fans and giving a shirt you’d brought to a little girl who was in the front row. Climbing into the ring, you almost fell climbing through the ropes, but disguised it as a roll and grinned out at the crowd. When you heard AJ’s music hit, you gritted your teeth, waiting for her to climb into the ring. As soon as the bell rang, you attacked, throwing her quickly into the corner and following it up with a quick and sharp kick. She caught you, and smirked at you, before pulling you back and raining down blows on you in the corner. Normally, you were barely affected, but you felt each hit as though it were made with steel, and quickly pushed her off of you, shaking off the hits and flying right for her.

Within a matter of minutes, it was clear both to you and the audience that she was overwhelming you, and you were starting to see black around the edges of your vision. Though you fought it, the dizziness you had been managing flared up right away, and you caught AJ during a planned spot, whispering to her. “You’re supposed to win, right?”

She nodded, struggling in your grip as you shifted the pair of you into the position for her finisher. “Finish me. Now” She raised a brow but complied, hitting her finisher and pinning you. After the pin, she fell to the floor next to you, seeing the way you were struggling for each breath. “Need medical?”

“No, I’m ok” You whispered, pushing yourself to sit and then lifting a hand to your head. Whimpering, you fell back, letting out a pained groan and turning slightly to AJ, before your vision cut out. The last thing you heard was one of the medical staff talking to you, before your mind slipped into the cool, black void that had been calling for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you first woke, you were unsure if you were home or at a hotel. The steady beeping you heard changed your perspective.  _ Hospital _ . You sighed, trying to think back on what you were doing before, but the events of the day were largely blank in your mind, After shifting around a little and testing all your limbs, you breathed a small sigh of relief, letting your eyes crack open slowly to adjust to the light. Once your eyes were open, you stretched, wincing when the movement tugged at an IV needle in your arm. You looked around the room, seeing it empty and wondering curiously where Dean was. Usually, when one of you was in the hospital, the other was sitting in the bedside chair, keeping watch. Seeing his jacket on one of the chairs next to the bed calmed you, and you started to check yourself over for injuries, seeing no bandages, but an IV and several heart monitor pads on your chest. 

You pressed the call button, hoping to let a nurse know you were awake. Reaching for the bedside table, you snagged a cup of water with a straw, taking greedy mouthfuls and smiling slightly. When a knock sounded at the door, you sat up and waited, seeing a nurse pop his head in. “Oh good, you’re up! I’ll let the doctor know right away. How are you feeling?” His voice was chipper, and once he put on a pair of gloves, he started to check you over, checking your blood pressure while waiting for your answer.

“I feel... okay. Uh, not to be rude, but… Why am I here?” Your answer was less sure than you’d hoped, and you winced, looking away from the nurse. He continued to work, giving you a patient look and smiling at you. 

“Well, you were wrestling, and you seemed to have collapsed in the ring during a match. When you got here, we thought you might be too far gone. The doctor will discuss this all with you, but… Your soulmate, do you know who it is?” His voice was gentle, and you bit your lip, nodding in reply. All of your memories of the evening and day had flooded you, and you sighed softly, listening as he continued. “You  _ need _ to tell them about it. For your health, and safety. You miss every opportunity you don’t take, and it is  _ really _ not safe to keep going like this” He moved back from you, throwing away his gloves and heading to the door. “The doctor will be in soon”

His words played in your head while you waited for the doctor, before you started to hear arguing outside the room, raising slowly in volume. Though your pulse was racing, you stood, ignoring the dizziness that was still there, and moved towards the door, peeking out the doorway and gasping softly. Punk was standing at the nurse’s desk, arguing loudly with one of the nurses, and opening the door allowed you to make out what they were saying.

“My best friend is in here, sick with  _ god knows fucking what _ , and you won’t let me into their room?!” He was decked out in his favorite jacket, paired with some old jeans and boots, and you kept your door open, heading back to the bed to keep yourself from falling or bringing attention to yourself. 

“Sir, as  _ soon _ as they’re awake and have been seen by the doctor, they can have visitors. Until then, please have a seat” The nurse was firm with him, and you let out a chuckle, picturing his annoyed expression and how much of a huff he was making as he kicked a few chairs on his way to sit down. You hoped either Dean or the doctor would be there soon, and give you some answers about what was going on.

You didn’t need to wait long, an older woman knocking on the door and introducing herself as Dr. Pine. She was wearing a pair of dark blue scrubs, and came over to stand next to the bed so she could shake your hand. After the intros, she was quick to get to business, leveling you with a firm gaze. “How long have you been hiding it?”

You sighed, looking down at your lap. “Hiding what, doctor?”

Her laugh was short and sharp. “Who your soulmate is” When you raised a brow, surprised she had figured your secret out that quickly, she chuckled. “You’d be surprised how often I see this. Your case is certainly more severe than most, but is completely curable.” She smiled at you, seeing the realization dawning slowly. “Once you realize who your soulmate is, if you choose, for whatever reason, to ignore or deny that, you will get sick. The sickness changes in severity depending on both the strength of your feelings and how much physical strain you put your body under. Those chest pains you’re having? It’s your heart. Over time, if you continue to put your body through enough physical strain, it can begin to shut down, as it did in your case. When did you eat last?”

“A week ago, I think? Maybe a week and a half” You were shocked by what she had told you, and answered her question as honestly as possible. You had been trying to focus on working to deal with the pain from avoiding Punk, and hadn’t realized just how much danger you were putting yourself in. She cleared her throat gently, getting your attention again and continuing. 

“Luckily, we caught yours in time to help you. You’ll have to stay here and be under observation while we give you a round of medication formulated for soulmate sickness. However, the only way to prevent this from continuing to be an issue is your soulmate discovering the bond as well. Just a thought to consider.” She checked you over and nodded, making some chart noted before heading towards the door. “Is the screaming gentleman from earlier yours?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to let him in?”

“Please. I need to talk to him”

She nodded, smiling encouragingly at you and heading out the door. You let out a huge sigh and ran your hands through your hair, pulling it up into a bun with a nearby hair tie. There was little else you could do, aside from waiting for him to come in. Worry about how he would act with you started to creep up, distracting you and making you shift. Maybe you could hide somewhere in the room? The sound of the door opening and slamming into the wall startled you, before Punk burst into the room and rushed over to the bed. There was relief all over his face, and you immediately began to sob, his arms wrapping themselves around you tightly and pulling you into his chest. You gasped softly, his fear and worry putting you on edge for a moment, before you felt it.  _ Love _ . Under all the other emotions, shining through as brightly as anything else, was a strong and overwhelming love. For you. 

You let out the last two weeks of pain and anxiety in your tears, comforted and blanketed by his presence. The love he was feeling was giving you respite from the pain and dread you’d been weighed down with for two weeks. His arms stayed around you, and he shifted to sit on the bed, pulling you into his lap so he could hold you easier. You calmed down after a few minutes, only letting out an occasional whimper. He lifted a hand to gently wipe your remaining tears, cupping your cheek and pressing a kiss to your forehead, despite the whimpers. 

“Rain?” He asked gently, hoping to get your attention and possibly hear you speak. You rested your head on his shoulder and smiled at him, blushing when he gave you a radiant smile in return. His hand fell down, thumb slowly stroking the edge of your collarbone the way he knew you loved. Just that moment of knowledge was comforting, and you absolutely melted into his hold. He chuckled and continued his touch, resting his cheek on the top of your head.

After waiting you out for a moment, he slipped a hand down to your jaw, pulling your head up and giving your forehead a soft kiss. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready, sweetheart. I can wait” He leveled you with a confident, patient look and gently pulled your hair down from the bun, running his hands through it to even it out again with care.

You were briefly reminded of both what the nurse had said, and the doctor as well. Gently, he laid you down on the bed and settled himself down next to you, holding you close to him and rubbing your back. His touch soothed you, and you lay against him for a moment, listening to his heartbeat, You hadn’t known how much you missed him, until you lay in his arms. He was the only person who you could see yourself ever dating, and you closed your eyes, preparing yourself. You had to tell him. Tonight. Sitting up, you turned away from him and took a deep breath, eyes closed tightly. “Punk? I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you. It’s just that… Well… I.... You’re my soulmate? I realized it, you’re my soulmate-”

“Rain” He tried to interrupt you, shock warring with joy in his expression. He broke out in a fond smile when you continued on anyways, eyes tightly shut and arms wrapped protectively around your stomach.

“-and every moment in the last two weeks with you and AJ was torture to me. Normally, seeing you with her kills me, but today? It felt like it really would. I-” 

His hand came up to cover your mouth, face only a few inches from yours. Your surprised squeak made him chuckle slightly, but then he sighed, eyes scanning your face. “Do you have  _ any _ idea how hard it is not to kiss you right now?” His tone was fondly exasperated, and you blushed heavily, averting your eyes from his and down to your lap. One of his hands came up and ran through your hair, watching with curiosity as the wavy locks fell naturally around his fingers, covering them almost entirely. 

When he saw the strands matching his nails, his own eyes went wide for a moment, love shining brightly within them. Though you offered your own hand to show your side of it, he shook his head and pressed a kiss to your palm softly. Pulling you back to lie down, he winked, lowering his head again. His lips trailed from your palm to your inner wrist, the brush of his lips sending shivers through you. The sexual frustration of the last few months left you more sensitive and needy than usual, and a pleading whimper escaped your lips. He nipped playfully at your skin as he kissed his way up to your shoulder and neck. Your heart monitor was speeding up but staying overall quiet, and you appreciated the privacy. Tilting your head back, you swallowed hard, trying to quiet your moans and work up the courage to stop him, but it was all too easy to let him continue as he kissed his way up to your ear, before beginning to speak in a low, easy tone.

“I can’t believe the one person I spent all this time wishing was my soulmate,  _ begging the universe _ to allow me to have as my one true soul mate, was mine all along? I spent years fucking gone on you, Rain. Begging and pleading with myself to say something to you, to do  _ something _ . Only to take the coward's way out and never say anything. I just..” He paused, and your heart caught in your throat.  _ Does he not want me after all _ ? He continued before your anxiety could climb, soothing you with a gentle kiss to the cheek. “I’ve never gotten better fucking news in my life.” His voice trembled with joy, and you abruptly felt tears falling down your cheeks, relief overwhelming you. His arms wrapped tightly around you, pulling you into his chest to allow you both to compose yourselves before continuing the conversation.

You felt him shift, hovering over you and cupping your cheek gently. “I actually, uh, well..” He trailed off, looking away for a moment and slowly climbing off of the bed, despite your protesting whines. After sitting down in one of the bedside chairs, he grabbed your hand, interlacing your fingers and pressing a kiss to the back of your hand. When you tilted your head, he chuckled, smiling at you for a moment. “I broke up with AJ after your match.” His words were like ice, shocking you into a frozen stare. You hadn’t expected him to do that, and you waited for him to continue to explain. “While you were being wheeled out, I was frustrated. My best friend, the love of my damn life, being wheeled out in front of me after passing out after a match? I was  _ terrified _ ” His voice broke when he said that, grip tightening on your hand before you reached out with the other to card a hand through his hair. He leaned into the touch, closing his eyes happily and giving you a small grin.

After calming down, he continued. “Anyways, she was… less than pleased. We got into a fight, and she tried to tell me I should be lucky to have someone like her. And that me caring about you as much as I do was wrong when you’re in a relationship. So… I told her we were done. And then I came straight here.” You started to tremble, tears starting up anew and rolling down your cheeks quickly. He leaned in closer, gently wiping your tears and kissing your nose. As he leaned up, he glanced at the heart monitor and a puzzled look came over his face, your heartbeat climbing in pace slightly. 

“So, love, did they figure out why you collapsed?” His voice was strained slightly, and you could feel the worry coming off of him. You felt your anxiety spike at his question, and before you could process, a wave of calm washed over you. You realized after a moment it was him reacting to your emotions, and his hand started to gently card through your hair, your body melting back into the bed. Once you were relaxed and distracted, he leaned in closer, dropping his voice to a gruff whisper. “Tell me” The subtle command in his voice sent a shiver down your spine. After a stabilizing breath, you nodded, closing your eyes and tensing in anticipation of his reaction. 

“I found out we were soulmates… two weeks ago” Your voice was hardly audible, but was quickly overtaken by an exasperated growl from him. Jumping in place, you turned toward him, heart fluttering anxiously when you saw him running his hands agitatedly through his hair. After a moment, his gaze caught yours, the intensity within causing your breath to stutter. With a deliberate pace, he leaned forward, crowding you against the bed and letting out another soft growl of displeasure. Before you lost your nerve, your eyes dropped down to your lap, and you forced yourself to continue. “After I left you and AJ that day, I started having pain. Turns out, it was my heart.” Though you tried to chuckle, his fingers grasping your chin and tugging your face back up to meet his angered gaze left you breathless. 

“You risked your health and  _ life _ for my relationship? Are you _ fucking serious _ , Rain?” His tone was still low, but the restrained rage you could hear within, next to the explosive rage you could feel surging through your bond with him, shocked you into silence. After seeing you weren’t going to reply, he continued agitatedly, grip on your chin still gentle in spite of his mood. “What made you think for a fucking  _ second _ that I wouldn’t want to make that decision myself? The fuck did you think any of this would accomplish?!” Tears started to roll unbidden down your cheeks, and you could see him soften slightly, letting out a small sigh. “Love, I’m angry you hid this for two weeks. I should have been part of this, from the  _ beginning. _ This doesn’t change how grateful I am to have you as my soulmate, however.”

“I’m sorry… I just… I couldn’t be the reason you lost something that made you happy. I was… scared” Your voice wavered with uncertainty, and his fingers on your chin were heated and all too distracting, causing you to miss him leaning forward and covering your lips with his own. The connection took you by surprise, but you adapted, eyes fluttering closed happily. 

The two of you spent a while locked together, and you slowly pulled back, laying smaller pecks on his lips as he followed you, your hand slipping up to cup his cheek. Pressing one more kiss to his lips, you leaned back in the hospital bed. The pain and dizziness that had been plaguing you was finally beginning to lift, and you smiled softly at him, admiring the gentle and open grin he had on his face. He settled back into the chair next to the bed, his hand slipping into yours and the pair of you drifting off to sleep.


End file.
